Re: AIS: Membership Data

In a message dated 2/15/06 1:59:25 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
ChatOWhitehall@aol.com writes:

> The preponderance of members who returned their renewal forms with a note  
> that they were not continuing cited age and/or infirmity as the reason  for 
> their decision.

Thanks, Anner for the statistics.

Locally we have had a lot of losses because of age, infirmity and/or death.  
Long time members are succumbing to Father Time and are not being replaced by 
enough young people.  My own children were active youth members, but have long 
ago given up much gardening.  An example is my daughter who is a single mom 
of a thirteen year-old and works long hours, so there just isn't time for 
gardening.  She has a few flowers, including a few irises that came with the house, 
but can't keep up with their growth which is year-round in Southern 
California.  Whenever I visit her I have the job of deadheading roses and Bird of 
Paradise plants.

I don't have any answers to increasing membership, but I don't think the 
Bulletin is the main problem.  I guess I am a joiner, as opposed to many on the 
list who say they aren't.  I am a Master Gardener and belong to the North 
American Rock Garden Society and the Northern Ohio Perennials Society, as well as 
being a life member of AIS and many of its sections.  I joined AIS because my 
mother was an active member and founded the North East Ohio Iris Society which 
is still an AIS Affiliate.  I became interested in hybridizing when I 
accompanied my mother to her first Region 6 meeting in 1950 and have been hooked ever 
since.  But I don't have time to read all the bulletins I get from all the 
various organizations and I think others don't have time either, so the bulletin 
content can't be that important.

Dorothy Willott

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